End to a decade of frustration for Creative Napier

Outside what will be the new home for Creative Arts Napier (L-R) Community Arts board member Lennie Lawton, manager Christine Heaney, board member Yvette O'Neill and secretary Mark Heaney. Photo/Duncan Brown

A new name and a new home for Creative Napier is set to give a boost to the city's art community says Community Arts manager Christine Heaney.

Creative Napier has been 10 years without a home but that is set to change with a new workshop studios and galleries.

Those 10 years without a base, since the previous centre in Hastings St was closed and demolished, had been frustrating, Mrs Heaney said.

"We looked at a lot of options but financially it wasn't going to be easy - it was about finding somewhere suitable and affordable but those two never met in the middle."

She said Napier had a strong arts community and was more active in the arts than many other regions so the new venue would make a huge difference - especially after not having a permanent home for a decade.

"It will be perfect," Mrs Heaney said.

"It will be a design and arts and cultural centre for artists to meet and the community to use."

The centre, which it is planned to open by October or November, will be called Creative Arts Napier (CAN).

The word "can" would be used in many of the planned events, and to celebrate the opening there would be "candelabras and canapes".

Creative Napier had been closely looking at the old Napier Borough Chambers building which was shifted to Byron St from Tennyson St to make way for the development of the MTG Hawke's Bay and a feasibility study was carried out about three years ago.

The site and the building ticked the boxes so it came down to finding funding for the estimated $600,000 redevelopment of the historic old building, which was built in the 1870s.

The Napier City Council cleared the way for Creative Napier to use it and members set to pursuing funding through grants and trusts.

Mrs Heaney said an approach to the Lotteries Commission last year resulted in a $300,000 grant just before Christmas.

"The best Christmas present ever," she said.

Along with the Napier City Council the local arts and general community had also been fully supportive.

"Lots of people have come forward and asked 'what can we do?"

The latest slice of funding, $50,000 from the Eastern and Central Community Trust, had ensured there was now sufficient up-front money in the account to get started on the building and tenders are expected to go out before the end of the month.

"It has tipped us into the plus side of the equation and the council will now allow us to proceed."